The grades for schools in Tippecanoe County were encouraging in that they generally did better than state averages. Of the 40 schools, public and private, graded in Tippecanoe County, 30 - or 75 percent - had an A or a B. Of those, 19 - or 47.5 percent - had A grades.

Perhaps more telling was the breakdown of how Greater Lafayette schools fared compared to the previous year: 20 saw no change, 12 improved and eight slipped.

Do the grades add up to much? They certainly have their critics, including Glenda Ritz, Democratic challenger for Indiana superintendent of public instruction. She called for an independent audit of the results to see whether the models used by Republican Tony Bennett's department were accurate and fair.

Testing how the grades were developed is within reason, especially considering how often the release of this batch was delayed. And that's particularly true given Bennett's announced desire to expand the grading effort to entire districts.

We've urged the state to take a breath on school reform to make sure what has recently been put into place is working, before speeding ahead. And we stand by that now. Double-checking the accuracy of this round of grades will only make them that much more valuable in confirming the good work the strongest schools are doing - while giving necessary nudges to the ones that are falling behind.

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Editorial: A new set of grades for schools

The instant analysis of Indiana's new A-to-F scale for schools was that the grades weren't as harsh as they were predicted to be.